Crocky's Corner: New School Vs Old School

Posted at 07:39 2008-11-26

Well bend me over and call me Rover, do us old farts have any chance against the young guns?

Peter Eastgate has just become the youngest poker player ever to win the WSOP. Eastgate at 22 years of age shattered a record that the Poker Brat (Phil Hellmuth) has held for the last 19 years as the youngest WSOP Main Event winner.

I have been playing poker for nearly 20 years, and these days you have no hope in the modern game if you don’t adapt. In the past the normal conversation would go like this...

"I popped it up with AK, he re popped me full pot, so I shoved all in, he showed me two queens and they were good, oh well that’s poker."

Modern day conversation goes down this path...

"He raised me in the cutoff, I had 12 CSI’s (12 Rounds) so I shoved with king-high as my fold equity was 35% and his hand range from the cutoff was very wide, thus mathematically I made the correct play with the chips I had. I knew he was old School when he showed me ace-queen of hearts. However I got lucky and hit a King, and went on to the final table, while the old boy was left mumbling to himself!!"

On the old farts list we have yours truly the Croc, Sam Youssef, Tino Lechich, Michael (Sticky) Guttman, Jason Gray, and an old dairy farmer that has stood up over the years, Graeme (KiwiG) Putt. Kiwi G needs a special mention here as he has been flying under the radar for far too long. Well Kiwi G, I am blowing your cover!

Putt has been playing in the high limit cash games for years and holding his own. He was overall champion in Vienna, and overall champion the following year in St Marteens. In the last 10 years you can google his results and you will see Kiwi cashes in numerous events every year. In 2008 he made the semi finals of the Canadian Heads up championships to cash for over 30k US. In the Joe Hachem Deep stack series he placed 4th in the $2,300 No Limit Holdem netting over 20k again. On his maiden trip to Macau he finished 15th in the Main Event in 2007. Graham is quiet and unassuming, and gets no greater pleasure than walking away from the poker table telling the story of how he milked off one of the young punks’ chips.

Kiwi G the jig is up!

The old school players mentioned have adapted to the modern game as you can see by their results.

Below I have compiled a list showing how poker players are categorized by the two schools.

Categories New School DescriptionOld School Description

LP-P Loose Passive Passive Barramundi

LP-A Loose Passive Aggressive Flop Head on Tilt (Calling Station)

TP-P Tight Passive Passive Fred Flintstone (Rock)

TP-A Tight Passive Aggressive Rock who bets a lot

LA-P Loose Aggressive Passive Loose Goose with no Heart

LA-A Loose Aggressive Aggressive Kamikaze who can take u down with him

TA-P Tight Aggressive Passive Trappers who try pick you off

TA-A Tight Aggressive Aggressive Find a new game if more than 2 - As Greeks say Karabina (Top Shot)

Just around the corner is PokerStars premier event the Sydney 2008 APPT. Last year 28 year old Grant Levy became the first Aussie poker millionaire on home soil, defeating 561 hopefuls at Star City Casino. With both schools attending, young and old, I certainly hope one of the old boys takes out the main event. The new school has had a dominant 2008.

My good friends David Saab and Van Marcus will now be known as the thrillers in Manila after their great victories. (I was particularly pleased to see David win as he has helped me in my understanding of the young gun terminology.)

Poker life is a rollercoaster, the ups are much sweeter! Van (Sirens) Marcus giving the all clear with US$162,856!

Good luck to all the players in Sydney, and with Danny McDonaugh at the helm it should be a wonderful event.

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